In an attempt to find a pedagogic alternative to the traditional comprehension-focused practice of English language teaching in China, the present study investigated the effectiveness of the production-oriented approach (POA) on Chinese college students’ acquisition of grammar. Two groups of first-year college students (N = 92) participated in an intensive English course for four weeks. They were assigned randomly to either the comprehension-focused class or the POA class. Their acquisition and production of three target grammatical forms ― past perfect, temporal clauses, and passive voice ― were assessed through a pretest, an immediate post-test, and a delayed post-test. Results revealed that the POA group gained significantly more than the comprehension group in all the representational and productive accuracy measures. This suggests that the POA not merely helps learners to enhance language production skills but also enables them to be more conscious of grammar and use it accurately.